NMSU Regents to Legislature: Cut carefully

LAS CRUCES – The New Mexico State University Board of Regents met Thursday in a special meeting to approve a resolution ahead of Friday’s special session of the New Mexico Legislature. That resolution, which passed unanimously, will be sent to Gov. Susana Martinez, Higher Education Secretary Barbara Damron, the secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration and members of the legislative leadership.

The resolution points out numerous steps NMSU has taken to become more efficient and promises to “work collaboratively with the state in finding the best path for stabilizing funding for higher education while seeking efficiencies and focusing on student success.”

Regent Kari Mitchell, who attended the meeting by phone, said she hopes the resolution emphasizes the $32.1 million in permanent cuts the university has made in its operating budget. She noted that if the cuts to higher education made during the special session are applied unilaterally to all of the state’s universities and colleges, such an approach fails to acknowledge and recognize those — like NMSU — that took a proactive approach and showed initiative.

“If you’ve spent as much time in Santa Fe as I have, you know you can only report the latest rumor,” NMSU Chancellor Garrey Carruthers told regents. Citing an unnamed source, Carruthers said he heard Thursday afternoon that the Senate was considering a three percent cut to higher education, while the House, which started with a 10 percent cut to higher education in mind, had “settled around eight.”

Chairwoman Debra Hicks said she too hopes the resolution encourages legislators not to cut universities and colleges without considering the steps they’ve already taken to save money.

“We have actually made significant cuts to increase efficiencies, and if (the approach for all universities is the same) across the board, it does not incentivize anyone to do the responsible thing,” Hicks said. “I won’t say ‘what’s the point,’ because we know what the point was. We knew these reductions were important, and we did the right thing. But it does not incentivize anyone to take those difficult measures in advance of cuts (to appropriations).”

Hicks said she is not looking for a “reward” for doing the right thing, but feels that across-the-board cuts fail to acknowledge NMSU’s initiative.

Carruthers said he believes the cuts to education will be viewed as a choice between cutting K-12 funding and cutting higher education — which worries him.

“The other side of the coin is that we have also been very proactive in trying to enhance the revenue of the university,” Regent Jerean Hutchinson told the Sun-News. “We’ve been focused on how to increase enrollment and student retention, and improving retention rates.”

Provost Dan Howard told regents about three federal grants, totaling $2.6 million, the university has received in the past two weeks. He also said the university is a finalist for a $4 million grant.

The regents on Thursday unanimously approved participation in a new initiative — New Mexico Higher Education Regents’ Coalition. The group, which will comprise regents from the state’s universities and colleges, is being created to provide training to regents and help represent the interests of higher education in the legislative process.

The coalition is still in its infancy, and bylaws are being drafted.

Regents also conferred four honorary doctoral degrees. The recipients are:

• Laree Estes Perez, a managing partner of The Medallion Co. Perez, born and raised in Yeso, New Mexico, was a member of the NMSU Board of Regents from 1991 to 1997. Perez will receive her honorary degree at the Spring 2017 commencement ceremony.

• Kevin Johnson, 1981 graduate of NMSU’s College of Business. Johnson is a former president of the Platforms Division at Microsoft. He is president and chief operating officer of Starbucks. Johnson will receive his honorary doctorate at the Spring 2017 commencement.